Hopes, Dreams, and Expectations
by Suricatessen
Summary: The day after his own world was suddenly turned upside down, Adamaï reflects on what happened, and what lies ahead. Spoilers for S1 everywhere.


_"Oublie que t'as aucune chance, vas-y, fonce ! On sait jamais, sur un malentendu, ça peut marcher..."_

- Les bronzés font du ski

* * *

The sun had set long ago over the arid island of the Dofus, leaving place to a clear, chilly night. On the flat top of a rocky mesa, the strangest assortment of living creatures were lying next to each other: a human, a tofu, and a dragon.

Despite being the most tired of the three, Adamaï was still wide awake. Carrying the other two on his back for hundreds of miles had been exhausting, yet the nagging doubts swirling in his mind prevented him from finding sleep.

Adamaï propped himself up on his elbows and cast a curious glance at the little human, fast asleep and snoring lightly right beside him. He still found it hard to believe that this frail, squishy creature was his brother. More than that, his litteral soul mate. His _other half_.

The twelve years Adamaï had spent alone on Oma had given him plenty of time to daydream about how Yugo would be like, nevermind the fact he never had the chance to see any other human before, apart from the mural paintings of the Eliatrope temple that didn't help at all.

Of course, Yugo was nothing like Adamaï had expected, save for his blue hat. If humans didn't have the power of metamorphose like Grougal had told him, Adamaï expected them to be at least somewhat impressive, maybe even strong enough to challenge his own crackler form. But the little boy he had found in front of him wasn't impressive in any way.

Adamaï had been most concerned when he truly realised how _squishy_ a human looked. The dragon already knew he could trust his own skin and bones to withstand pretty much any amount of abuse. But Yugo's hide didn't look any tougher than those of the little preys Adamaï was used to hunt and eat. If their new-found, shared destiny was all about life-threatening adventures, Adamaï would rather not end up with a teammate he would have to look after and protect at all times.

Then Adamaï tested Yugo, and he was immediately reassured when he realised he couldn't hit the young Eliatrope, no matter how hard he tried, as Yugo used his portals with amazing speed and dexterity to avoid every attack sent his way. That still left the possibility of a single lucky shot being lethal, but at least Yugo had something to make up for his apparent squishiness.

Those years alone also left Adamaï with plenty of time to conceptualize the perfect scenario for their meeting. He thought about everything, how he would impress his brother with his mastery of magic, how he would capture his attention by carefully teasing about how much he knew regarding their origins. Years spent alone on the beach, his gaze on the horizon beyond which his brother was hiding, thinking about this precise moment where he wouldn't feel lonely any more.

Granted, for the most part it had worked just like the little dragon had hoped. The puzzled look on his brother's face, his gleeful yelps of joy as he took part in the game Adamaï had carefully designed for him, everything had gone according to the plan. And Adamaï had allowed himself to believe that maybe, at long last, his loneliness was over.

He just never expected Grougaloragran to die in the meantime. Twelve years of excruciating longing, for only a few hours of happiness.

Adamaï looked away from his brother, and upwards at the starry night sky. A single tear rolled down his face as he wondered if Grougal was up there somewhere, looking at him. Surely Grougal was frowning reproachfully because after the countless times he had told Adamaï how he needed to be responsible, confident and strong, the little dragon was now letting grief and despair take the upper hand.

What were they going to do anyway? For sure they were on a mission and the objective was clear, but the stakes felt so high, and them, so unprepared. Yugo didn't seem to care the least about it, all at his joy of finally finding his real family. And his enthusiasm was so contagious that Adamaï could easily forget about the dark clouds ahead while he laughed heartily at his brother's antics. For Yugo, all of this was just a game, as he turned up to become the hero of those bedtime stories his father had told him.

But Grougaloragran never told Adamaï any nice bedtime stories. Instead it was all about responsibility, of how the Eliatrope people needed him and his brother to return to their former glory, of how the fate of the world would ultimately rest on their little shoulders. For sure these weren't stories designed to help him find sleep.

One realistic glance at the grim situation, and all the doubts were back. Adamaï didn't see the point of telling Yugo, but he understood much more than he would have liked about Grougaloragran's plan, or lack thereof. The old dragon had run out of options too quickly to plan for anything proper. And the only solution he saw was to sacrifice himself to buy them some time, sending two twelve years old kids against the world's biggest threat, with the slimmest chance that it might actually work out somehow, out of a misunderstanding or something.

A mission that had _staggering_ odds of success for sure. But there was no other option.

However, despite how low the odds could be, they'd be down to zero if Adamaï allowed himself to give in to despair. He had to hide the pain, swallow the grief, and keep intact the quiet, expressionless mask he had borne for so long while he waited alone, knowing that his other half was out there somewhere and he couldn't go join him. Suffering in silence, that was something he knew, inside and out.

He had to keep it together, if only for Yugo.

Yugo who was always looking at him with eyes full of wonder and excitement, as if Adamaï was the most incredible thing to ever enter his life. And Adamaï would have loved to feel that way, to be allowed to discover who his brother really was without caring about anything else in the world, if only for just a bit longer. In his perfect plan they would have had years to learn about each other, with no threats looming at the horizon, no Nox, and most of all, Grougaloragran still there as the securing figure of stability he had always been in Adamaï's life.

Years of hopes, dreams and expectations had been utterly crushed by the overwhelming responsibility that suddenly fell upon him. The second he met his brother, he found himself responsible for his safety, the fate of their entire people, and the fate of the world.

At twelve years old.

No pressure.

A gentle breeze blew, and Adamaï noticed how it made Yugo shudder in his sleep. At first he was perplexed, then he remembered Grougal telling him about how humans were ward-blooded creatures, sensible to temperature variations. Yugo's body was loosely covered with that stupid wolf pelt he had brought with him from the great north. Adamaï clumsily, awkwardly adjusted it around the boy's shoulders, as if he was concerned about handling something fragile that could break at the first mistake.

But when Yugo stopped shuddering in his sleep, Adamaï felt a weird sense of achievement, as if he was proud for managing the tiniest, most insignificant thing in their quest.

Maybe Yugo was right after all. Maybe his careless way of dealing with the dire situation at hand was in fact wisdom, the only sensible thing to do when there was so little hope. Adamaï's brooding didn't present him with any better solution anyway. Maybe he, too, ought to forget about chances, forget about odds, and rush head first at their objective, hoping for the best.

One stroke of luck, one misunderstanding, and things could work out after all.

And thus, Adamaï hoped.

* * *

_A little piece I wanted to write because I feel most of the dislike the viewers may have for Adamaï comes from his whiny attitude. Well, I think he has reasons to be whiny, and anyone else would break down in his situation. In fact, he did pretty well in the end._

_The beginning quote is from a french comedy and massively out of context. It means "Forget the odds, just go for it, and with a slight misunderstanding things could work out". I find it oddly fitting for the way Adamaï and Yugo managed to "win" against Nox in the end._


End file.
